The bar was filled with couples and a group of friends wanting to have fun as they waited for the year to turn over, and this time Kim Wonshik didn’t feel like an odd one out in such a merry atmosphere. He was there to fulfil his promise to Leo, the stranger he met a week earlier. He still wasn’t really sure that it’s the best decision, remembering that he had only known Leo for less than a day, but the lingering sensation of Leo’s soft lips on his cheek was enough to justify his decision.

Wonshik was dressed to impress that night. He had told some of his fashionable friends about his breakup and how he managed to get some sort of a blind date soon after, and for some reasons they were determined to make Wonshik have the perfect boyfriend look for this date. Wonshik had to bring out everything he had in his wardrobe that wasn’t too colorful or had weird patterns, and bicker with his friends before they finally settled on the look he was wearing right then.

“If you wear this on your blind date, they’ll instantly hook up with you,” said his friends proudly after dressing him up.

Stealing another glance at the reflective surface nearby, Wonshik felt that his friends did an amazing job. The oversized knits and the brown slacks made him look cozy and warm, but still stylish. The v-neck gave him a touch of iness, but not too much. The charcoal long coat completed his stylish boyfriend look, and the camel-colored muffler his friends urged him to bring along just in case the temperature dropped perfected it.

Wonshik even went as far as wearing light makeup to look better than usual. He only hoped that it’s not too much to make Leo turn away.

“Hey, you’re early again. Hopefully you’re not too drunk yet tonight,” greeted Leo with a wide smile. Completely sober this time, Wonshik could no longer deny that the reason why his heartbeat raced was indeed Leo. The way Leo’s cream-colored turtleneck hugged his body just right didn’t help at all.

“I only had mocktails this time, no worries,” said Wonshik as he lifted his glass of non-alcoholic Mojito. Leo chuckled, and his smile bloomed even wider.

“Then let me buy you something alcoholic. Why come to a bar if you’re not going to order alcohol, right?” said Taekwoon. He then ordered something, along with some snacks to accompany the drink.

“Now that you’re not crying your eyes out, you actually look even more handsome than last week. Did you cut your hair, by the way?” asked Leo, opening the conversation. Wonshik couldn’t help but blush as he heard how Leo called him ‘handsome’. His effort to do something with his hair also didn’t go unnoticed.

“Y-yeah, I trimmed it a bit. To throw away the bad luck, if you may. It’s almost a new year too, after all,” replied Wonshik as he touched his nape. “Leo-ssi too… Did you perm your hair?”

Leo shook his head with a small pout on his lips. “Not exactly. The curl is natural. I straightened my hair last week.” There was a short pause, but then Leo continued with a bitterness in his eyes and voice, “My ex liked my hair straight. I just don’t give a damn anymore, now that we’ve broken up.”

That moment, Wonshik was reminded how they met in that bar—both of them had just ended their relationships. Other than Leo’s comment about it being a dragged-out one, Wonshik didn’t really know what Leo had been through. Though, the same case applied to Leo, since Wonshik also hadn’t really said anything about his relationship other than the fact that it was a short one.

“You look good in both,” commented Wonshik, “The perk of having a gorgeous face, I guess.”

Warm smile returned to Leo’s lips, and Wonshik could confidently say that he liked that one more.

Their chat was paused when their order was served. Wonshik stared at the bright yellow and bubbly drink Leo picked for them, wondering whether it would be sweet like before or not.

“Let’s have a toast, to cheer for a new beginning,” said Leo as he raised his glass. Wonshik followed the gesture, lightly clanking their glasses together before taking a sip.

The taste was surprisingly sour, like some sort of sparkling lemonade. Wonshik thought that he probably made a weird face, since Leo quickly shoved a cracker topped with smoked salmon into Wonshik’s mouth. The taste of smoked salmon melted on his tongue, washing away the sourness from before.

“The taste is quite surprising, but it’s still good anyway,” said Wonshik after he’s done munching his food.

“Right? It’s the taste that will wash away all the fatty flavor on your tongue so that you’ll be ready for something new,” said Leo with a wide smile.

Wonshik wondered if Leo chose the drink simply because he wanted to eat a lot of fatty food, or because it’s sort of symbolising how both of them should forget the unpleasant past and move on to the new one.

“You sure know a lot about good drinks, Leo-ssi,” said Wonshik.

“I’ve only recommended you 2 drinks and you already praised me. Are you always this easily impressed?” asked Leo teasingly.

“Yeah, I guess so,” replied Wonshik. He was silent for a while, before he continued, “Maybe that’s why we broke up… I praised everyone equally, to the point where my ex thought she’s not more special than my friends and colleagues.”

Wonshik took a sip of his drink to avoid speaking, but he could feel Leo’s piercing gaze on him.

“But you praised her often, didn’t you?” asked Leo.

“I did, but… Maybe not enough? I mean, I said all those things to other people too… ‘You’re doing great’, ‘The food is really delicious’, ‘You look so pretty’, ‘I love your new hair’, and so on… Maybe if I only said those things to her, we wouldn’t have broken up,” said Wonshik.

“She’s the one who got greedy, I guess…” said Leo as he swirled his glass. “I’d be happy if my lover praised me, even if it’s just for a silly thing.”

“You talked like you've never been praised before, to the point you questioned why the two of you were together in the first place,” commented Wonshik nonchalantly. Leo’s expression turned sour, and Wonshik gaped at the realization.

“. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry,” apologized Wonshik. “No, wait, but, what the hell? Seriously? Even a stranger like me can shower you with praise promptly!”

“Is that so? Try it, then,” challenged Leo.

“You’re very gorgeous,” said Wonshik without even batting an eye. “Your fashion sense is amazing. You’re very tall. Your voice is very soothing and I think I can listen to you talking all night long. You smell really nice and clean. Your eyes are lovely. Your smile should be recorded as one of the national treasures.”

Leo, who was still listening calmly at the beginning, dropped his head lower and lower to the table. By the time Wonshik finished his praise shower, Leo’s face was completely red, and he  fanned his face with his hand.

“If you didn’t stop, I’d seriously consider dating you,” said Leo playfully.

Leo might be saying it just as a joke, but Wonshik’s face turned red in embarrassment. He had only realized that he sounded like he was flirting with Leo, although it wasn’t really his intention to do so. Still, looking at how gorgeously Leo smiled, and how he seemed to appreciate Wonshik’s words, Wonshik didn’t mind if Leo thought that he was flirting.

“Should I continue, then?” teased Wonshik back.

There was a long pause, like Leo was really considering Wonshik's offer. Wonshik was staring at Leo as he waited for the reply, feeling more and more conscious about the meaning of his own words.

Then, with a thin smile, Leo answered, “Give me time until next year to think about it.”

Wonshik felt himself deflating for some reasons, but he still offered Leo a smile anyway.

“Take your time. We have plenty,” said Wonshik as he raised his glass.

Like the last time, they didn’t talk much afterwards, only downing their drinks and eating their snack. They only stopped when there was only a sip left in their glasses, and waited until the new year countdown reached zero before they had a first toast of the new year.

Just as Wonshik put down his drink, he felt Leo’s cold hand on his cheek. He turned his gaze to Leo, who felt dangerously close to him. Time stood still as the distance between them shortened, and Wonshik could feel those cold lips again. It’s not on his cheek like the last time, but on his very own lips.

Sounds around the two of them became white noise as Wonshik heard just how loud his heartbeat sounded. Animations of fireworks were played all over the screens in that bar, and Wonshik could feel fireworks sparked in his heart as well. The sweet and sour taste of their cocktail tingled on his tongue, washing away all the bad taste from the other day.

Wonshik was still dazed when they parted, feeling completely drunk in the taste that was Leo. Leo’s cold and soft hand lingering on his cheek was probably the only thing Wonshik had to remind him that it wasn’t a dream or his own wild imagination.

“Shall we try a new taste in this new year?” asked Leo with a playful smile.

Wonshik let out a breathy chuckle. It clicked a bit late in his brain, but he realized that it was already ‘next year’. He didn’t know how to reply to Leo's words, so he simply leaned close for a chaste kiss, which Leo didn’t reject at all.

“Agreed,” replied Wonshik.